


The (maybe) road to trust

by TheNerdyFriend



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Love, Post-Episode: s05e01-02 Arthur's Bane
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22678333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNerdyFriend/pseuds/TheNerdyFriend
Summary: Mordred becomes a knight and Merlin has to deal with confusing feelings and a young man who want her to trust him with her heart. But will she be able to, when she knows what destiny has in store for her and her closest friends?This work also exists on another site by another of my pen names.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Mordred (Merlin)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 36





	1. The Road Home

_**Any and all mistakes are my own. English is not my first language.** _

_**\- TheNerdyFriend** _

The Road Home

They were on their way home from Ismere when they made camp for the night. Merlin took care of Arthur's bedroll first like she was supposed to, all the while keeping an eye on Mordred just to make sure that he didn't try anything while she wasn't looking.

She tried to figure out why he saved Arthur's life back there, it just didn't make any sense, she figured she was going to maybe, just maybe, have to ask him about it. Not that she had any faith that he would ever tell her the truth. According to Kilgharrah, he would join Morgana, so why had he stabbed her? Was it a plot to get closer to Arthur? Was it a plan he had made with Morgana?

Merlin narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him when he rolled his bedroll out on the ground a little off from the burning campfire. She gave a high yelp when there was suddenly a hand on her shoulder, she quickly twisted around which made her foot get stuck in a tree root emerging from the ground, which in turn made her clumsiness kick in.

She landed flat on her face into the forest floor, she groaned as she heard high laughter all around her. Merlin narrowed her eyes at the ground as she got up on her hands and knees, she muttered one curse after another. There was a moment when she almost felt bad about her language but she spent all her time with the knights, she was bound to pick up some of the things they said. She pushed back and balanced on her feet, glared up at Gwaine who was laughing so hard that he was almost falling over himself.

"It´s nice to see that you never change Merlin, you are still as much a danger to yourself as you always have been." he somehow managed to get out in between big gulps of air. Merlin glanced around and saw that the rest of the knights were working at getting their laughter under control, she might not have fallen on her face on purpose but it lifted the tense mood they were all in, so that was fine with her. Somewhat fine with her, okay not fine but she could live with it.

As her gaze moved from one to another, it landed on Mordred who stood a little off to the side with his bedroll, a look on his face she could not decipher. Her crystal blue eyes meet his blue/gray one and he frowned a bit. It was only for a second, so Merlin was unsure if he even had frowned or if the shadows had been playing a trick on her eyes. Merlin knew he would be able to feel how little she trusted him but that was fine really if he knew she didn´t trust him, then maybe he would stay away from Arthur.

" _Emrys are you alright?"_ she heard his voice say in her head, but she just glared at him and took Gwaine´s offered hand to get up. He pulled her to her feet and put an arm around her waist. Gwaine was a good man and an even better friend, and not for the first time Merlin noticed he really was quite handsome. While she could easily picture them together in her mind, she could see the end of their friendship even better. Gwaine might think that he loved her, but Merlin knew that it was not the kind of love, which would end in marriage and children. Merlin placed her head against his shoulder for a moment, just for the comfort of it. In addition, maybe because it felt nice to be held in a pair of strong arms, just maybe, okay it was nice Merlin decided before she pulled her head back.

"Merlin, you scare way too easily. I just wanted to ask what you were thinking so hard about. I mean, I was talking to you, and you completely ignored me in favor of staring daggers at the Princess´s savior. Or maybe that is not the way you are looking at him at all, and I just never have seen that kind of look on your face before. Come on, Merlin, just be happy that we are going home in one piece."

She answered in a low voice to make sure that they were not overheard, "Of course I'm happy that we are going home I was not sending him those kinds of looks I'll have you know. He is not even my type! I just don't see why we have to take him with us. I don't trust him!" Gwaine just laughed at her and gave her a one-armed hug, after which he went over to the other knights still laughing a little to himself.

She looked after him with a little smile on her face because of his antics, even though she didn't think it was a laughing matter at all. Her smile slipped off her face as soon she felt Mordred´s powers brush up against hers, like a caress upon her inner being, and she did not like how her skin started to tingle in anticipation, of what she was not sure, but she didn't what to have anything to do with it. _"Emrys, why will you not talk to me? Are you alright? Emrys?"_ she glared at him for a few seconds while he just stood there with a sad look on his face.

" _Leave me alone Mordred."_ she all but snared at him. She could see that he got the message as she felt his magic retreat from hers, she almost felt sad to feel it gone since it left her feeling lonely in a way she had not felt before, no matter how alone she sometimes felt. She distributed it to the fact had he was the only one who had had more than just a brief touch with her mind. After all, it was the third time she met him, and the first two times he had also talked to her in her mind. His face got even sadder for just a second only to then grow hard and his eyes cold and distant. She felt his magic come back with a force she was not prepared for so it made her gasp for air, _"Fine! If that is the way you want it to be, then that is the way it is going to be. I´ll leave you alone… for now._ _However, one day Merlin, you are going to tell me just what it is you have against me. I already told you that I´ll keep your secret and that I do not wish you any ill will._ _"_ This time when he pulled his magic back, it felt almost violent. Like he ripped it back from where it intervened with hers and it made her want to clutch her chest in pain, but she managed not to. He turned his back to her and she glared at it, _`good luck with that, you will not get anything from me_ ´. She rolled her own bedroll out and settled down for the night after she had gotten under it, her hand went to the middle of her chest as if rubbing it would get the pain he had caused to go away.

Merlin was tired but no matter how much she tossed and turned she could not fall asleep, so in the end, she settled with laying on her back staring at the stars while thinking. Not on anything specific, she just let her mind wander and not really focus on anything as the knights snored around her. Even if Merlin did not look at Mordred or even in his direction, she was very aware of just where he was and his breathing was the loudest sound in her ears. It was not because he was the loudest snorer at all; actually, it was rather low but because he was on her mind… The night slowly turned into morning, Merlin fell into a restless sleep at some point.

When morning came she woke up to Arthur shouting "Merlin! Wake up! You need to start packing up so we can get moving. Breakfast is going to have to wait until the next stop." She let out a sigh and answered with a sugar-sweet voice ruffled a bit with sleep, "Well, if king clotpole could pack his own things, it would go a lot faster." She rolled out of the way as there was a stick flying at her, her roll made her face Mordred who stood with a horrified expression on his face.

Merlin knew her face turned colder just at the sight of him that early in the morning before her eyes had landed on him, there had been a moment when she had forgotten about him. Had forgotten that it wasn't just a bad dream, no it was all real, Morgana, Arthur´s bane and Mordred. _`why couldn´t it just have been a nightmare, that would have been so much better´._

She got up on her hands and knees, keeping Mordred in the corner of her eye; she got up and just looked at Arthur with her hands on her hips, "I know you did not sleep on a rock since I was the one to lay your bedroll out. Did you then sleep on your sword, Sire? Or are you just missing your big nice bed with your lovely Queen in it?" she asked with a smirk on her face since she knew for a fact that Arthur missed Gwen a lot on the nights they were away from home. And since they were on their way home it was almost safe to tease him with it, but if they were on the way out she kept her mouth shut about it. That she had learned by being pushed into a steam a year earlier.

Mordred stood off to the side with the most adorable confused look on his face as the rest of the knights chucked, since they were used to their banter by now, and just thought it was funny to watch. Whoa… _`bad Merlin. Did you just think anything about Mordred as being adorable?´_ Okay so maybe he was a bit adorable, but that did not make up for the things he was going to do in the future. He could be as adorable and cute and what not as he wanted, because there was no way Merlin was going to forget who he was going to become.

In the background, she heard Arthur grumble "Shut up, Merlin."

Sure she could see that Mordred was handsome with his fair skin, light blue eyes that she could imagine looking tender and loving if he were not so cold on the inside, his dark hair that, if she were honest, she could almost feel a prickling in her fingers to run her hands through and pull on, and his lips that looked like they were made for kissing.

But all that she pushed from her mind, considering she was not going to think like that about her best friend's future murderer. He was not to be trusted and she would not be fooled by his pretty exterior, no she would keep her eye on him and if he tried anything she would have to take care of him. She packed up hers and Arthur's things and they were on their way.

* * *

They had only been in Camelot for a day before Mordred was knighted. Merlin stood in the crowd with her forehead stuck in a frown as she looked on the proceeding. As if it weren't bad enough Arthur had taken Mordred home with them, now he was going to be a knight too. Merlin saw his smile as the ceremony was done and could not help the slight sting of attraction she felt for him at that moment. The way his whole face had been alight with happiness made it tough to see him as a killer. At that moment Merlin swore she was going to keep her eye on him, make sure that he would not hurt anyone. Even if it took her spying on him at almost all times.

Merlin snuck out of the throne room when the gratulations began and made her way through the castle to Mordred´s rooms to wait for him and have a little talk with him. Getting into the room unseen was surprisingly easy, the unseen part Merlin had expected. It was the unlocked door that had thrown her off. Someone with as much to hide as the druid should have locked doors, but then again, he had only just arrived, so maybe there was not really anything in his room yet.

Merlin leaned against the wall just around the corner of the door once she was inside. She had set herself up for a long wait, but it was not even half an hour before Mordred came into the room. Merlin just looked at him as he stepped away from the door after closing it and moving to the middle of the room and fiddle a bit with the clasp on his cape.

"Here, let me help you with that," Merlin said just before she pushed off the wall and went to him. She was able to feel Mordred´s eyes on her as she went over to him and stepped in front of him. Merlin looked up at him and met his gaze as her fingers opened the clasp on his cape. It felt like his eyes burned into hers as he looked back at her with a searching look. Merlin looked at the clasp because of the way he stared made her felt just a tiny bit uncomfortable like he could look all the way through her without even trying.

"Thank you." Merlin looked up at Mordred at his softly spoken words, the soft smile she received she ignored as she went over the table and placed the cape on a chair next to it. Merlin turned to Mordred as

she crossed her arms in front of her and leaned back against the table. Merlin looked at Mordred while being very careful not to let her emotions show on her face.

"You know, if Arthur knew you had magic, things would be... very different. Tell me something."

Mordred had turned to face her as she talked and looked at her with a serious look on his face. Gone was the young man who had just been accepted by a king, and in his stead, a hard man stood. A man who had had had to fight for where he was and who he was. Merlin watched him like a hawk does its pay as he walked closer to her only to stop just in front of her.

"Of course." Merlin could not decide whether his slight smile was a mocking one or a sincere one. Merlin´s gaze followed him as he moved across the room to stand just an arm's reach from her. The smiles had disappeared from his face by the time he reached her. In the end, Merlin decided that it really didn't matter if his smile had been sincere or not because he was who he was.

"You saved Arthur´s life, why?" While Merlin knew her tone was a little mocking, she just couldn't help trying to get under his skin. When Mordred looked at her face Merlin met his curious gaze which turned serious with a steady one of her own, there was no way she was going to be intimidated by him.

"Because Arthur is right. The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield. Morgana had forgotten that."

Merlin took the sword from Mordred´s side and pretended to study it with a calm exterior, or at the very least she hoped she looked calm, on the inside everything was running in circles so fast she had to wonder at the fast she didn't become dizzy by.

"And then Arthur made you a knight. Tell me something else; what will you do the day you have to fight someone with magic, will you be at his side then, or will you betray him?" Merlin turned her back to him with her heart in her throat. She looked out the window at the people below. "It is a hard and unthankful life to serve a king, a friend, who doesn't know who you are."

Merlin tensed when she felt Mordred come up behind her, her whole body preparing for a fight or flight situation.

"I know who you are, I know some of what you have done to keep this kingdom safe, to keep Arthur safe. Yes, I have been keeping tabs on you. How could I not? You are the killer of her own kind, you have betrayed so many of us to keep him safe. I don't condemn you for what you have done, some of those you have killed would have killed you, had they been given the chance. You can always count on me. From now on, you and I are not alone."

Merlin felt her eyes sting at his words, she turned to look at him and meet his eyes. They held a strange kind of tenderness that made fury rise inside of her. Who was he to say he didn't condemn her? Who was he to think she even cared what he thought of her and her actions?

"What do you know about anything?" She hissed out at him while she pushed past him, "I am still alone! I would not trust you even if my life depended on it, and most certainly not Arthur´s!"

Merlin stormed up to the door and ripped it open with so much force that it banged satisfactorily against the stonewall as she stomped down the hallway. It wasn't until later when she was in her bed that she realized that he had never answered her question, in fact, he had dodged it perfectly. As if, he knew just how to get under her skin. Merlin swore to herself that that was not going to happen again. She would have to monitor him from afar as much as possible. With that resolution, she fell asleep.

* * *

A week went by with Merlin watching Mordred closely but so far, she had seen nothing to indicate that he was anything other than the dutiful knight he portrayed. But Merlin would not take that to mean he wasn't up to anything, because sometimes she felt his eyes on her but when she looked around he was nowhere in sight. Until one late night, she was standing on one of the walls, which separated the castle from the town looking out over the forest that lay beyond.

The feeling of being watched was the first to creep up on Merlin, it was as if a sudden cold wind hit her, the hair at the back of her neck stood up and a chill went down her spine. Her whole body stiffened as she felt Mordred come closer to her and stand beside her; only his back was to the forest.

"You know Emrys, if there was something you wanted to know you could have just asked, instead of spying on me all the time." Merlin half-smirked half-sneered at him in the darkness, even if he would not be able to see it her face just did that when she looked at him sometimes.

"And where would the fun be in that? It will keep you on your toes that you never know when I might be watching."

Merlin more felt than saw him turn to her, her hair flying in the wind obscured him from her view. He was silent for a long time and Merlin could not help but wonder if he contemplated pushing her to her death. She was able to feel his eyes on her face, or her hair as the case was. Merlin stiffened when she felt him come closer, but it was just his hand. It brushed her hair behind her ear, his fingers just grazing her chin.

"You are wrong. I always know when you are watching."

Merlin turned and stared after him with a deep frown on her face, his departing words and gesture confused her, and if she was honest made her feel very concerned. If he knew when she was watching, then how was she supposed to keep an eye on him? Was there a hidden threat in his actions and words? If there was Merlin could not figure it out, but the other option was out of the question. That meant it was only supposed to confuse her and confuse her it did. His touch had seemed almost loving, but on the other hand, maybe it hadn't been his intention to let his fingertips grace her.

* * *

In the two days since Merlin had seen Mordred on the banner she tried to be more convert at watching him, but the way his eyes kept narrowing at her, she knew he was aware she was still watching him. Even if he didn't make contact with her, she felt his magic becoming agitated. Why she was able to feel his emotions through her magic she had no idea, but put it down to his telepathic powers, like is was bleeding into hers.

However, that changed sometime around midday, Merlin wasn't sure exactly when, but it was a little after she felt something had changed. He didn't send out agitation anymore but rather a fierce determination and just a tiny bit of rage. It made her suspicious. What had happened for that change to occur? There really didn't matter how she looked at it, the result was bad, something had to have happened to change whatever his plans were.

As the night fell, Merlin walked the halls trying to see if anything was amiss. Her thoughts drifted to Arthur and a talk they had had earlier that day. Arthur really wasn't as dumb as she sometimes would like for him to be. He had noticed she apparently odd behavior and questioned her on it.

He had wanted to know why she was acting odd, or in his words, odder than unusually. There had been no answer she could give him so she had done what she was becoming a master at; she had lied so much, that she really didn't know what she had told him. She seemed to be able to recall something about telling him she was coming down with the flu or was that she was getting over the flu? Well, it was something with the flu and maybe some horses…

As she passed an opened dark door, an arm shot out and grabbed her arm, pulled her into the dark and pushed her up against the wall so hard that her head banged against it and she could not focus for a minute. When she could see straight enough to use her magic, she felt a hand wrapped around her throat and was just able to make out Mordred´s form in the vague light from the torches, which were placed along the walls to give the guards some light during the long hours of the night. "Don't try anything, Merlin, it would just make the guards come running and neither of us wants that, now do we? No, I didn't think so. Now, you are going to be a good girl and tell me what I want to know. Why don´t you trust me? Why do you really keep watching me? I have not done anything to any of you… Well, besides now, but you've had it coming with you watching me all the time."

She had both her hands around his forearm and tried to pry it away from her but he was simply too strong and she did not dare to use her magic, so she would just stand there trying to suck air into her lungs but was held too tight and she started to get lightheaded. He loosened his grip a little so she could get some air in.

"You may seem like you are doing nothing wrong but I don't believe it for a second, you may have the rest of them fooled but you will not fool me." She said while she glared at him but it did not have the desired effect on him since he just smirked at her and pressed his body up against hers. She sucked in a breath of air at his close proximity and could almost taste him in it. A kind of earthy taste and he smelled of the forest on a summer's night after the rain.

"Who said that I am trying to fool anyone? Could it not be that I generally am just what you see? I am not doing anything I'm not supposed to do." His every breath ghosted over the skin on her neck and made it tingle just like his magic was doing to her, her chest brushed against him with each inhale. He pulled back a little and looked at her with an expression she could not decipher in the vague light. She was a little scared of what he would do because she could feel, in the way his magic pulsed, that he was at a breaking point, she just wasn't quite sure what would happen when he fell over the edge of it.

His other hand came up to her face and she squeezed her eyes tight and turned her head to the side, only to feel his knuckles run down her cheek to her jaw. "You are so beautiful," he whispered just before his lips grazed her throat, just below the thumb on the hand still around her neck. Her eyes went wide at the sensations that sent tingles shooting from where his lips met her neck to the rest of her body. Her hands let go of his arm to smack against his shoulders to push him away, at the same time she hissed at him, "What are you doing? Stop it. Mordred, stop it!"

But it did not seem like he heard her and if he did, he ignored her to continue to nibble on her neck. Her breathing hitched as his teeth bit down on her pulse point and her knees started to feel a little weak. She kept screaming in her head that it was wrong and that she should just use her magic to push him away, but she was not sure she could control how far she would throw him, and as she could see the guards in the torchlight on the other side of the courtyard, she couldn't risk it. There was also the little voice in the back of her mind that kept telling her that maybe the dragon was wrong, it seemed like he really liked Arthur so how was it that he was supposed to kill him? He had been right, there had been nothing at all to indicate he meant any of them harm, in fact from what Merlin had seen, he got along well with the other knights. She may have Seen it herself, but maybe, just maybe she could change that future, by changing him.

Just as the thought entered her mind, she questioned where that had come from; there was no changing one's destiny. Moreover, even if there were, why would she only think of it now? True she wanted to save Arthur; did she really want to save Mordred as well? Somewhere deep down she knew that she would not let him die if there was a way around it, after all; he was one of her people, one of her kind. And he knew who she was.

He pressed his body up against hers and she almost let out a moan at feeling his powerful body. She must not have been as good at suppressing it as she had hoped since he let out a low groan and pressed harder against her. His hand on her cheek moved down over her shoulder and under her arm to graze the side of her breast, against her will, she arched into the touch. His lips ran over her jawline to her lips and he whispered against them, "Emrys, trust me." And then he was kissing her hard.

Her mind blacked out at the feel of his lips so demanding on hers, they moved with a purpose to get her to respond to him but she was too shocked to do anything other than gripping his shoulders. Her lips seemed to have a mind of their own as they started to move with his, she felt his tongue trace her lips. She gasped as it sent shockwaves through her body; she lost what little control she had left. She ran one of her hands up the back of his neck and into his hair, closed her hand in it, and pulled his head back so she could look into his eyes. His pupils were blown wide as he looked at her, his gaze shifted down her body and settled on her chest that was rising and falling rapidly.

His eyes rose to look at her lips, he crashed his down on hers again. His hand on her throat glided down over her shoulder until it rested on her hip, his other hand went to the back of her thigh and lifted it to his hip so he could grind his groin against her heat. She threw her head back and it made an impact with the wall behind her, but she barely felt the sting of pain because his arousal was creating shockwave after shockwave to course through her with the way he rubbed it against her, and the way he basically attacked her throat with his lips and teeth.

One of her hands let go of his hair to run down his back till she reached the hem of his shirt, her fingers snuck under it to his lower back, from there she managed to get it in between them, to his stomach and up to his chest. Her nails scraped over his nipple which in turn made him groan and hiss, "Emrys, please…" The only things that were running through her mind were: YES and Mordred!

He pulled away a bit and started to lift up her skirts and it brought a few her senses back, so she moved her hands back to his shoulders and tried to push him away again, while she put her foot on the ground again. "Mordred, no this is wrong. Let me go!"

He, however, did not let her go but grabbed her wrists and pinned her hands over her head, and put his mouth to her ear.

"You want this Emrys, I can feel how much you want it. Your magic is screaming for me to touch you, to love you. However, I already love you. I always have. Just let go."

"No, you are wrong. Why would I want you, Mordred? Don't fool yourself into thinking you love me, you are not capable of love."

He laughed a hollow laugh that somehow sounded so sad that it went straight to her heart. Merlin knew that is was a mean thing to say, but she had had to say something because he saying he loved her made her feel all kinds of weird. He pulled her hands together and grasped them in one of his own still over her head and his free hand he brought to her cheek, and even though she fought it, she still turned into the caress he offered.

"If you don´t want me Emrys, then why do you so gladly seek my touch?" He then kissed her and she could not help but respond to it. Where the other kisses had been hard and demanding, this one was so tender she could weep from the sheer sensation and the way his magic roared in happiness that she kissed back. Oh, how she would love to be able to love him, she could picture waking up to him and falling asleep in his arms every night. Nevertheless, she could not let herself love him, which was why she ended the kiss.

"Let my hands go Mordred." He looked her in the eyes and she gave him a little smile, and he let her hands go. She put a hand on each of his cheeks, he copied her actions. She leaned forward and gave him a small and sweet kiss, pulled her head back, and screamed.

Mordred let her go with a confused expression.

"Who is that? Who is there? Hold!" The guards could be heard yelling from a hall close by, and Merlin turned and ran down the dark passage.

" _I´ll get you for that Emrys. You can count on that. Till next time..."_ She felt his magic brush her cheek as a light kiss.


	2. The Deal

The deal

"That new knight, Mordred, sure is handsome." Merlin ignored the talking kitchen maids as she gathered Arthur´s breakfast; she took some for Gwen as well because most mornings she was still there when Merlin arrived. She had enough on her mind without listening to their gossip; however, their talk was hard to tune out, as she stood right beside them.

"What do you think Merlin? We haven't really met him yet, but you have, so tell us about him."

"I am sorry, what?" Merlin asked, her thoughts lost for a moment. "Mordred, Merlin, what is his story?" Merlin frowned at them, not really sure why it bothered her that they wanted to know. Against her better judgment, her thoughts returned to the encounter the night before.

When she was back in the safety of her chambers, she thought over what had happened and had grown furious. What made him think that it was a good idea to engage her like that? It wasn't like she hadn't had a few lovers before, only not in the recent years, but they had never treated her the way he had, and never before had she had the same reaction. He had barely touched her before she had been embarrassingly ready for him. Not only that, but for a moment he had made her forget about everything else, everything she held dear.

Her breathing had yet to slow down as she laid on her narrow bed staring at the ceiling. She moved over so she could roll over onto her front, her arms crossed under her head. What did she even know about Mordred? Not much, it turned out. All she really knew about him were facts; he was a few years younger than her, his father was dead, she had no idea about his mother, he was a druid. That was just about it. What he had told her or the fact that he had saved Arthur was not counted in, because who was to say that it even was true and not part of a bigger plan? What had happened could not and would not be allowed to happen again. Merlin groaned as she banged her head on her arms; her body was betraying her, already it craved his touch.

"I don't really know. I haven't really spoken with him." With that, Merlin picked up her tray and walked out the door even as she heard the maids starting to whisper behind her. That there was whispering behind her back was not something new to Merlin, it had been a part of her stay at Camelot from the start. Apparently, she was fun to gossip about.

"Emrys. I would like to talk to you later." Merlin nearly dropped Arthur´s breakfast from shock at hearing Mordred´s voice in her head. "Why would I want to do that? So you can attack me again?" Merlin opened the door to the King and Queen´s chambers and went in.

"… Merlin. You know what she will say." "What I will say about what?" Merlin asked Gwen as she placed the tray on the table. "Oh, Merlin. Good morning, it´s nothing really. I was just trying to get Arthur out of the bed before you got here; you know a little surprise for you." Gwen answered with a shy smile whilst she poked a bit at the covers Arthur was currently hiding under.

"… I apologize for that. It was not my intention to do that. If I promise not to touch you – unless asked – would you then consider meeting with me?" Merlin thought it over and decided that if it came to it, she could always use magic against him if he tried anything. "Fine. However, I´ll choose the time and place. I´ll tell you when and where later." There didn't come any verbal response from him but somehow Merlin could still feel his consent.

There came a groan out from under the blankets and what could have been words but Merlin couldn't be sure as it was muffled by the covers. Merlin felt her face stretch in a smirk as she moved over to the window and pulled the curtains back. When she turned back to face the bed she could hardy hold a bark of laughter back. This was going to be fun; she decided when she saw the rays of the sun landing right where Arthur´s head was going to be when his covers were ripped off him.

With a strong stride, Merlin went to the foot of the bed, grabbed the covers, and pulled. Merlin had been cackling in her own mind otherwise she would have paid attention to Gwen who tried to stop her, but because she didn't hear her she was met with the sight of Arthur´s bare backside. Merlin dropped the covers in shock as the same time as Arthur let out a shriek, some of it was probably because of the sun, but it was most likely due to the fact that she had caught him naked. Literally.

It wasn't like she hadn't seen him naked before, but this time it was completely unexpected. "MERLIN!" Arthur yelled at her, Merlin blinked rapidly and maybe a little owlish at him. "GET OUT!" "Yes Arthur, I mean Sire, I mean..." She bolted as fast as her legs could carry her with Gwen´s sweet laughter in her ear, just as she shut the door behind her she managed to stutter out an apology.

While it wasn't unusual for maids to see their masters naked, they had tried to avoid it since Arthur and Gwen had married, for the most part they had succeeded. Sure, he was nice to look at but that was just about it, no that wasn't true but he was like a brother to her, so looking in any way just seemed so wrong. There had been a few times, in what Merlin liked to think of as the old days, where it hadn't been wrong to look. It was embarrassing how embarrassed she became just by seeing his ass. Maybe it had something to do with how long it had been, or maybe... no it had nothing to do with him.

Merlin reached the armory and picked up Arthur´s sword before she went out on the training field to wait for the knights and the king. She just hoped that Arthur´s plans for the day hadn't changed since last night. Merlin laid down in the grass, her arms behind her head and closed her eyes; she just let her mind wander and didn't notice that she fell asleep.

Merlin slowly became aware of something tickling her nose and tried to bat it away with her hand, but no matter how much she tried, it came back. Irritated Merlin opened her eyes to find out what was disturbing her nice nap, and was met with the sight of Percival and Gwaine sitting on the grass on either side of her head with a grass straw each, and they were holding them over her face, her nose to be exact.

Merlin glared at them as they laughed at her, Gwaine got to his feet and reached a hand down to her. Merlin glared at it and ignored it while she got herself on her feet. Their laugher followed her when she went over to the sword rack, grabbed one of Arthur´s swords, and sat on the small stool, which was beside it.

A short while later the rest of the knights came onto the field, and shortly after Arthur came out as well. Merlin started to polish the sword as orders were barked at the knights, and they started to train. She let her eyes drift over them as her thoughts drifted off. After a long while, she stopped polishing it and just let it rest against her knees as her eyes sought out Mordred´s form on their own.

He was wearing a shirt like the rest of the knights, even though the air was chilly. The knights had that habit, when they were training without their swords. They might become bruised from being hit by the long hard sticks they used instead, but as Leon had said more than once; rather a black and purple bruise to help you remember then a gapping wound.

Merlin´s eyes zoomed in on the way his muscles moved under his shirt before she took in the overall view of the way he moved. It was fluent. There were however, some defensive moves he had to make - to avoid the swinging stick from Leon´s hands - which proved that he still had some way to go before he had it completely down.

"Merlin! Stop daydreaming and polish that sword." Arthur yelled at her and brought her back out in the real world. She heard the knights laugh and felt her cheeks blush even as she answered him. "If I keep up polishing it, it is going to break!"

"So if you are done with it there are still chores you should do." Arthur answered back with a smile that made her think that, just maybe she should have kept her mouth shut for once.

"You still have to muck my stables, clean my chambers, polish my crown, mend my shirts, and walk my dogs. And have a hot bath ready for me when I get back from here."

'Yep,' she thought, 'I should have kept my mouth shut.' Great Merlin, more chores for you to do. Oh, the joy. She felt Mordred's magic brush up against hers for the first time in two weeks, her own magic flared up in joy and happiness. It did not feel threatening, more like he was amused that she got called on it and quite a bit smug, she suddenly got the feeling that he knew precisely what she had been thinking, when Arthur called her on it.

She rose from the stool she sat on and went over to the sword rack, placed the sword in its place, and turned to the king who was still watching her with that irritating smile of his. She placed a sweet smile on her face and curtsied to him.

"I'll get right on that then shall I sire? We can´t have the king have dirty stables, even if it is part of the stable boys job to muck them. And messy chambers can´t be allowed either, even if you should be old enough to clean them yourself."

As she said that, she gathered her skirts in her hands and when she was done talking she turned and ran for the castle.

Arthur yelled after her "MERLIN GET BACK HERE! I`LL PUT YOU IN THE STOCKS FOR THAT!"

She laughed and yelled back as she ran, "You´ll have to catch me first sire."

Merlin was just about ready to collapse when she remembered her promise to Mordred to meet him, she let out a sigh before she turned to walk out the citadel. "Meet me on the field outside the castle walls to the east." "I´ll be there shortly."

Merlin leaned against a tree on the border of the woods, when she saw Mordred´s shadow make way over the field some time later. He stopped about a meter from her and just looked at her. Merlin did not want to stand there all night and as such figured she would have to be the one to say something first, but there was no way she would let him off that easy. She was tired and really, all she wanted was to sleep. Oh the blessed sleep, where she could just relax and let go.

"What do you want, Mordred?"

"I am very sorry about what I did the other night. It really wasn't my intention to… molest you. And I am sorry for telling you I love you, it will not happen again unless you express a desire for it. I realize that what I am about to ask of you might be hard to even consider because of that, but please, hear me out before you reject it." Merlin gave him a small nod to indicate that she would listen to what he had to say, she figured that there was no harm in hearing him out and then make up her mind about whatever it was.

"You don't trust me and I can´t force you to do so, trust must be earned, I know that some of my past actions may leave doubt about where my loyalties lie, but Arthur saved my life once and that is not something I will ever forget. I want to keep him safe with all I am, and I would really like us to be able to be civilized towards each other instead of you mistrusting everything I do. I would like for us to become friends, and for you to know that you can count on me if you need to and even if you don't."

Whatever she had been expecting that was not it. He seemed so sincere. As if he really meant what he said, however, Merlin had been tricked by a pretty face before. Even if she didn't trust him she supposed that she could use his help sometimes, after all Gaius didn't know about all kinds of magic. In addition, Mordred was a druid, born and raised, so maybe he could at least help her in the right direction from time to time. She could always choose another route if she did not agree with what he had to say.

Moreover, keeping watch on him all the time was exhausting to put it mildly. With these thoughts running through her mind she decided that, for now at least, she could let up, just a little bit. "If I see you make even one wrong move I will put an end to you still, is that clear?" Mordred nodded at her and Merlin continued, "In that case we have an agreement. If that was all I´ll just be off to bed then, it has been a very long day for me and tomorrow will likely not be shorter."

With those words, Merlin left to make her way to the castle. "I left some things for you in your room. I hope you like them, you can think of them as a second apology. And a little something to let you know that I do intend to win your heart." Merlin frowned, not really sure that she wanted anything from him, but she had agreed to watch and see, so that was what she was going to do – for now.

Merlin stepped into her room slowly, while she was on the lookout for anything wrong but as far as she could tell there was nothing, which was going to attack her. She had to admit that she was a bit curious about what he had left for her – and how he had even got it in there. The thing that he had left for her turned out to be flowers, which lay on her bed with a little note.

She picked up the multicolored flowers; she threw them on the bedside table when she felt that they were practically soaked in magic. She glared suspiciously at them and looked to the note. She carefully touched the note with her fingertip but there was nothing that indicated there was magic on it, so she picked it up and turned it over.

A small smile found its way onto her face as she read and then reread the note. Okay so maybe he was cute and all, it was okay to admit it to herself as long as no one else knew that she might just, maybe, possibly like him just a teeny tiny bit. She sat down on her bed and just smiled at the note for a few seconds and then let her eyes wander to the flowers. She frowned at them for a bit before she let her magic wash over them to feel what he had done to them, when she found out, the smile that blossomed on her face grew just a little bigger. She put the note on the table next to them, and picked the flowers up and smelt them while she got up trying to find something to put them in.

As she found out she did not own a vase of any kind, why would she since she had never gotten flowers before as special as these, she found a glass to make her own. After all, special flowers deserved a special vase, did they not? She sat down on her bed with her legs crossed, the flowers on the bed beside her, and the glass in her hands.

She frowned a bit at it and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and opened them again. She started to picture the glass turning into a vase, and as her magic expanded through her hands she saw the glass grow taller and wider. When it reached the size she wanted, she started to pull her magic back slowly. When she almost had it there was a knock on her door.

"Merlin, are you awake?" Gaius asked through the door.

Her concentration broken at the knock, Merlin stared at the glass/vase in her hands as it started to vibrate and shake.

"Oh n-" was as far as she got before it crumbled in on itself and made a small explosion that pushed her against the wall behind her. Her head made a dull noise as it smacked against the wall.

The last thing she heard before darkness claimed her was her door banging open and Gaius yelling her name. In her mind she could also hear Mordred screaming, "Emrys!" sounding quite panicked.

The first thing she noticed was a dull pain in the back of her head. She gave a moan and opened her eyes to look around; she heard shuffling as who she assumed was Gaius came over to her.

"Merlin. It is good that you are awake. You have been unconscious for just under a day. Now, how are you feeling? Have you any pain?"

She answered all his questions, and when he was satisfied by the fact that she would not have any lasting damage, he left her room. He came back with a vase filled with flowers. She stared at him with a stunned look on her face.

"I found the flowers on your bed with you and this morning there was new bucket outside our door with a note attached. I have not read the note so I don´t know who they are from. But I will advise you to be careful."

"What? Oh. No, no, no. They are just from a friend. At least I might think he is a friend. Or I think he wants to be a friend, but sometimes I wonder."

There was no way that she was going to tell him that Mordred had made it very clear that he would very much like to be so much more than just mere friends. Merlin quite suspected that he would devour her if he had the chance, but what scared her about it was that she wasn't sure she would mind.

"You think he is a friend?" he raised brow in that way of his that made her feel like the idiot Arthur always said she was.

"Well yes, I think he may be but I am not really sure."

"Hmm. Okay, but still you should be careful. Now get some rest. I will inform the King that you are awake but still need to rest tomorrow. Sleep tight." And with that he left and closed the door after him.

She turned to the flowers and her notes from Mordred. 'I think he is a friend. But can I trust him? I want to trust him, but that does not mean I should. I made a deal and I will stand by it. He can try to earn my trust, but until he does – or doesn't – there is no reason why I should not let it seem like I trust him. No not trust him but at least am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.' She picked up the two notes and smiled as she read the first one, just one more time. She picked up the second one and read it, her cheeks heating up as she felt the blood flow through them. She sighed, placed the notes on the table again. She looked at the flowers and then closed her eyes.

As sleep overcame her, just before unconsciousness took her, she felt a feather light touch to her cheek. Like someone letting their fingers barely touch skin before thinking better of it.

Mordred POV

His chambers were silent around him as he sat cross-legged on his bed and let his magic guide him to where he wanted to go. Normally it didn't take much concentration for this to work, but his target was in an entirely different part of the castle. His eyes were closed so it was on the inside of his eyelids he saw Emrys on her bed talking to Gaius, there was no sound coming through as it would take an amount of power that she would notice no matter how tired she was.

It was good to see her awake once more; he had gotten quite a scare when he had suddenly felt a sharp pain from her. Without a second thought, he had yelled out to her, at the same time as the pain had disappeared. He had sat down right where he was in the grass on the field in which he had talked to Emrys in. She had somehow managed to knock herself out it had seemed, how and why she had done so he didn't know.

Her skin was pale he noted while looking at her, but that was to be expected considering the circumstances. He watched her bid Gaius good night before laying down on the bed; he watched how she lay on her side looking at the flowers he had given her. He knew it was a little forward of him since she didn't – well said she didn't – want anything to do with him like that. However, her reaction when he had kissed and touched her had told a different story. He could be patient if it suited him to be so, and in this case he had motive. He wanted her and loved her, so he could wait for her to want him too.

She had a look of deep concentration on her face before she picked up the notes he had given with the flowers. Then a smile slowly made its presence known on her face, and Mordred could not help the flutter of hope blooming in his chest. Maybe he was wrong and didn't have to wait as long for her, as he had earlier feared.

He watched anxiously as she looked at the note he had places outside the physician´s chambers earlier that morning. If the first note had been forward, then the second was downright bold. He just hoped Gaius hadn't read them, but even if he had they weren't signed so there was no way it could be traced back to him.

A smile started on his own face as he saw the blush spread over her cheeks. She placed the notes on the table beside her bed, and Mordred crouched down beside her bed as she looked on the flowers. His eyes were drawn to her chest as she took a deep breath and slowly let it back out. He couldn't help himself. He just had to touch her, just to feel her. He let his fingers brush her cheek lightly before pulling his hand back, he looked at her for a moment more before deciding that watching her sleep might be nice to do, but there was no way Emrys would look at it the same way.

He opened his eyes and craned his neck to the side to make some of the stiffness disappear, he rolled his shoulders a couple of times too, before laying back on his bed himself, to sleep and hopefully dream of the black-haired, blue-eyed, and fair-skinned beautiful handmaid of the King he had sworn to protect with his dying breath.


	3. Chapter three

Chapter 3

Merlin was trailing behind Arthur shivering in the cold wet clothes she wore, she was sure that Arthur was mad at her. Actually, there was no doubt, with the way he was rigidly sitting on his horse. The silence was starting to get to Merlin; there really was nothing quite as boring as riding through the forest with Arthur when he was in that mood. She sneezed and asked, "You're still angry with me, aren't you?"

Arthur answered in a slightly irritated tone, "We spend the entire day hunting only to catch nothing because every time we got anywhere near anything, you sneezed and scared it away." Now that just wasn't fair and she let her opinion be known. "Not the last time, there was no sneezing there. And you are not being fair, you know."

"No, that time you fell into a stream. No one could accuse you of being predictable, Merlin." She glared at his back. As if she had wanted to fall into that stream, it was really cold and she was sure she was getting sick, and that was without counting her little swim in. "I think I'm getting a cold, and these wet clothes are doing nothing at all to prevent that."

"Let's hope it's a bad one. Then you would actually have a reason for not getting your duties done on time." Merlin got an outraged look on her face and was just about to make a snarky comeback; she really was bad at being sick. Her mood turned sour and she knew she was a little like a baby to be near when she was sick, but was that necessary? A scream tore through the forest and Merlin really hoped that it was just a funky sounding bird, so she looked up at the treetops, hopefully searching for said bird.

"What was that?" Arthur asked as he looked around. Merlin on the other hand kept looking at the treetops, still hoping to spot the bird she hoped it was, because she was not in the mood to play hero today. She was wet and cold and really just wanted to get back to the castle and have a nice hot cup of tealeaves. "I think it was a bird." 'I hope it was a bird, please be a bird.' A new scream tore through the forest and crushed Merlin's hopes about it being a bird. 'No, that is not a bird.'

"That? That was definitely a woman screaming." Arthur jumped off his horse and took his cape off before pulling out his sword and running in the direction the scream had come from. Merlin just sat on her horse and looked after him with a defeated look on her face. "Why couldn't it have just been a bird? It's never just a bird."

Merlin ran to catch up to Arthur who had gotten a good way ahead of her. When she reached him he was crunched behind a tree looking out onto a field, she hid behind the tree as well and looked over his head and frowned at what she saw. There was a group of people dragging a screaming woman to a bonfire; Merlin frowned at the intention of burning the woman. This kind of punishment was only used in the cases which involved sorcery, and Merlin could hardly imagine a more painful way to die.

Merlin snuck around Arthur to get a better look and to get closer. There had to be some way that they could stop what was about to happen to the poor woman, because it didn't really matter what she had done, no one deserved to be burned at the stake. As she crouched down behind another tree, Arthur's voice could be heard from behind her. "What are you doing?"

"I assume you want to risk our lives and see what's going on." Merlin answered. She would have guild tripped him into it if that wasn't the case, but there was no reason for it if he was willingly going to find out what was happening and maybe help her save the woman. "I never thought I'd say this, but you are learning." Merlin rolled her eyes at him when he snuck past her to get closer, why did he think she was such a coward? Oh yeah, that was what she wanted him to think. It really was an inconvenience at times, whereas in others, it was a great help so that she could turn tail and run. She always found a way to run around and approach whatever they were facing from another angle than him.

"You really think I would just stand by and watch while they burn someone at the stake?" Merlin asked a little insulted that he would think so little of her. "Of course not Merlin, but you do have a history of running when trouble is near — unless of course if it is you who causes it. Sometimes it seems like trouble just follows you around."

Merlin mumbled a few curses as they ran for the town. When they were able to see the gathered people once more, the woman had been tied to the stake. They slowed down just before reaching the townspeople, and Merlin could not help the small smile which bloomed on her face. Trust Arthur to look royal while saving someone. It would not do for the king to run to the rescue unless it suited him, and in this case, it was an unknown village, so he had to look the king he was.

"Let the woman go." Arthur said when they were close enough to do so. Merlin trailed at bit behind so she was able to have all the townsfolk in her sight. You never knew with people who were scared, she assumed that that was what they were, since they were willing to burn someone — that spoke of fear.

The man who Merlin assumed to be the town chief spoke up then. "This woman has been sentenced to death. It does not concern you." Merlin frowned at the arrogant tone of voice he used and knew without doubt that Arthur would take offense to it. Even from behind him, she could see that Arthur puffed out his chest and straightened his back further as to seem more intimidating.

"I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, and your village is in my lands." Merlin could hear the underlining warning not to cross him, which also indicated that as long as it was in his lands, it was of his concern. Merlin felt her chest swell with pride, when she had met him, there would have been a high probability that he would not have interfered, but let the woman burn because they did not need to say it for Merlin to know for what 'crimes' the woman was to be burned.

"Her sorcery has brought sickness and suffering to this village." Well, Merlin supposed that could be true, but as she looked over at the woman and caught her eyes, she knew this to be a lie. The look in the elderly woman's eyes told a different story. A story of pain yes, but not hate. Merlin was pulled out of her thoughts by Arthur's counter question.

"Did she receive a fair trial?" The answer was prompt and once more a bit arrogant, Merlin just felt like smacking her forehead because of his idiocy, and then Arthur had the gall to call HER stupid. "Your father would have shown her no mercy."

"I am not my father. Now cut her down." Merlin could almost feel the chill from his voice in the air; it really was a soft spot for Arthur to be compared to his father. Not so much anymore because he wanted to be like Uther, but more because he wanted his approval. It was not something he had mentioned to her but it was just the feeling that Merlin got from Arthur on those rare occasions that the late king was brought up in their conversations.

"I will not endanger the lives of all who live here." Arthur raised his sword, put it to the man's chest, in a threatening manner, and spoke very slowly. "I said… cut her down."

As they made for the stake to cut her down Merlin ran over and just managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Merlin felt her heart contract as she put her arms around the woman, she did not think that she would be able to save her. From what they could see of her skin, she didn't look so bad, however, it was what was under the skin that concerned Merlin. From the brief contact, her mind had met with the woman's – Valdis' — mind she knew that she had likely been stoned. When they were far enough away from the village not to expect any attacks, Arthur had helped almost carry the poor woman to a nearby clearing.

The night was falling fast and the cold sweeping in from all sides, taking no notice of the burning fire in the middle of their camp. Merlin sadly bent over Valdis with a hand on her forehead and tried her hardest to heal her, but no matter how hard she tried she knew that there was nothing she could do. Valdis just had too many internal wounds and she had lost the will to live. Merlin could feel her acceptance in knowing that she would die. Even if Valdis had accepted it, didn't mean that Merlin was just going to give up on her. Nevertheless, even Merlin was starting to lose hope. She had tried for hours and there was no improvement.

Just as Merlin started to admit defeat, Arthur's voice broke her concentration. The abrupt interruption gave Merlin a fierce headache, ugh she hated when that happened. "Is there anything more you can do for her?" Merlin sighed and gave the only answer she could even if it pained her to do so. She was tired of losing people, while she had learned not to let it show how much it hurt her every time, it still tore her heart apart.

"She won't make it through the night." She answered in a tone of voice she knew either would alert Arthur to something being wrong or just sounding dispassionate, like she didn't even care. "Make her as comfortable as possible." Merlin nodded even if she really had no idea how she could make the woman comfortable, she had been stoned so there was probably no place on her body that wasn't in agony.

The woman's eyes opened and she looked over at Arthur. Her voice was weak when she said, "Thank you." "You should try and get some rest." Arthur answered her kindly. Merlin almost said that she didn't have long to go, so if she had anything she wanted to say, now would most likely be the last and only chance she was going to get. Arthur hunched down and took the woman's hands in his.

"My time has come. When you have lived as long as I, you no longer fear the journey to the next world. I have a gift for you. You showed kindness and compassion. Those are the qualities of a true king." Merlin just looked on in curiosity as Valdis pulled some kind of cloth out from under her dress. It had to be something important if she was willing to let it burn rather than fall into the wrong hands. However, what if Arthur's hand weren't the right ones? What if, whatever it is, isn't something that Arthur could handle just yet?

"Open it." Valdis said, Arthur obeyed while Merlin looked from the other side of Valdis to see what this gist could be. Inside the old worn cloth was a horn. It was beautiful, and yet there was something about it, which grated on Merlin's senses. She decided immediately that she did not like it one bit!

"It's beautiful." Merlin heard Arthur say, as she just kept staring at it. "It has the power to summon the spirits of the dead." Merlin tried not to let it show how much that statement disturbed her. Nevertheless, her eyes went from Valdis to Arthur and back again in shock. As Merlin tried to process what she had just been told Valdis drew a last staggering breath, before letting it go, never to draw in another.

Merlin had no idea what she should do with herself. A horn that could evidently summon the dead, well the spirits of the dead, but in Merlin's head that could just as well have been the dead themselves. Those kind of things always came with a price or at the very least a nasty surprise.

Merlin had talked Arthur into letting Gaius have a look at the horn, not that that had been a very hard thing to do as, if there was anything magical going on, it was Gaius who was asked for counseling. Merlin could think of nothing else other than what the horn was supposed to be able to do. There was simply no way that it could not have some kind of backfire to it, but she tried not to pass judgment before she had heard what Gaius had to say about it.

"The Horn of Cathbhadh. When Uther attacked the Isle of the Blessed, the Horn of Cathbhadh was smuggled to safety before the temple fell. It hasn't been heard of since." Gaius told them as he was looking at the horn. Merlin stood beside Arthur and was in no shape or form reassured that the horn was not a bad thing.

"The old woman said it could be used to open the door to the spirit world?" Now that was something Merlin was interested in hearing the answer to as well. She knew, or had a suspicion of why Arthur was interested, and while her own interest could be seen as her wanting to talk to a departed one last time, it was not so. Sure, she had some on the other side she would have loved to be able to talk to again but they were dead, and she was a firm believer that the dead should stay just that way. Dead.

"I have seen it with my own eyes. Long before the time of the Great Purge I took part in such ceremonies. Each year at Beltain, the High Priestesses would gather at the Great Stones of Nemeton and summon the spirits of their ancestors. It holds powerful magic. You must keep it safe." Merlin felt a sense of unease, because in her ears that was a clear warning to stay away from it, look away and forget about it. For once, that really was what she wanted to do. This was not something she could play dumb with, but she had a feeling that things would not go her way.

Gaius gave the horn back to Arthur who thanked him for his help and left. 'What are you up to Arthur? I really hope it's not what I think it is.' The look in Arthur's eyes had been calculating.

'Of course he had to use it. And why not? It's not like he had been cautioned about the bloody horn! This is never going to end well I just know it. Something is going to go wrong, something always goes wrong when the bloody prat doesn't listen to reason… What is taking so long?'

Merlin kept pacing back and forth, sometimes throwing a frown at the stones. The light of the portal changed and signaled Merlin of Arthur's return. When the light disappeared and she could see his face, she knew that what had happened and what Arthur had hoped to happen had been nowhere near each other. She called out to him but he showed no sign of hearing her and Merlin felt her heart contract at the pain she could see on his face. What she really wanted to do was to give him a hug, but she did not think that he would welcome it at the time.

Arthur didn't say a word as they walked back to where they had left the horses, nor did he say anything when they started the ride home. Merlin grew very concerned when he still hadn't said anything by the time they made camp. She had even made sure to do some things wrong just to get some kind of reaction from him, but there had been none. No indication that he even noticed that she was there.

When the darkness had fallen and Merlin had a fire going she had laid on the ground on the other side of the fire from where Arthur sat staring intensely into the flames. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked after some time. Arthur looked up at her with a slightly confused look in his eyes. "What happened at the stones?" Merlin elaborated to make sure that he was aware of what she was talking about.

"It seems my father doesn't approve of the way I have chosen to rule his kingdom." "You mean your kingdom." Merlin said. There was no way that Uther had done what Arthur indicated that he had done. Merlin had spent too much time turning Arthur away from the self-absorbed ass she had first met when she came to Camelot all those years ago just for some dead old king making Arthur doubt himself now.

She could feel how the old anger at Uther grew in her chest once more, but she knew she had to stay calm and not get mad; this was about Arthur and his complicated relationship with his dad. "The things he said about the knights, about marrying Guinevere. What if he is right? What if I have weakened Camelot?"

"Do you really believe that?" Merlin asked in slight disbelief. Camelot was a better place under Arthur's rule than she had ever seen it under Uther's. "You have always done what you believed to be right. People respect you." `They don't fear you the way they did your father and that is a good thing, not a bad one.'

"Thank you Merlin." Arthur said seriously. Merlin felt the atmosphere was starting to get a little heavy and decided that now that she had stopped some of Arthur's doubts, she was just going to have to tease him a little. It wouldn't do for his ego to grow with the praise she had just given him.

"Some people still think you're a foolish, arrogant ass." "Who?" Arthur asked and she shrugged the shoulder she wasn't leaning on. The look on Arthur's face broke her resolve not to grin so a small smile graced her lips and Arthur said sarcastically, "Very funny. We should get some sleep." With those words he laid down on his back.

A short while later Merlin laid down on her side facing him. She used her arm as a pillow and just laid staring at him. She could see his eyes were open and he had a frown on his face while looking at the stars high in the sky. "Just because your father doesn't approve doesn't make the changes that you have brought wrong you know. So you didn't marry the way he wanted but instead for love. That is not a bad thing. The people respect you for that. In their eyes, it makes you human. As for the knights… they don't fight for their estates, they fight for you. Because you are a good king."

When he didn't answer Merlin sighed and closed her eyes. When she heard the quiet 'Thank you' she smiled but didn't show any indication that she had heard him. The day had been emotional enough for her friend without her forcing anymore on him.

'Three little piggies went to the market to… get out of this council meeting … aren't you done yet Leon? Just get it over with would you!'

"You do realize that anyone with just a shimmer of magic can hear just how bored you are right?" Mordred's voice startled Merlin out of her inner chant. "Oh come on, you can't tell me you actually find this interesting?"

Mordred started to answer but before Merlin even understood what he was saying, she felt her heart fly to her throat when the heavy chandelier fell down on the round table with a loud bang. She jumped back as all the knights did the same and looked wildly around and up at the ceiling.

"If you need me, you know that I will help you. You only need to ask." Merlin didn't answer him in words, but gave a small nod when she saw Mordred looking at her. She knew that there was no way that she was going to go to him for help if there was any way that she could handle it on her own, but she had to admit that it was kind of nice to have the option on hand if she so needed it.

Merlin's heart was finally starting to beat at a normal rate again after the fright Gaius gave Arthur and her, she knew the same could be said about Arthur even if he would never admit it with his whole: "I'm not easily frightened" attitude. She knew he was lying, he had jumped just as much as she when Gaius had suddenly been standing right behind them, after Merlin had heard a sound that turned out to just be a small rat. Nevertheless, the point still stood; Arthur had jumped out of his skin just as much as she had.

They were sitting around the stable in Arthur's rooms and Merlin kept a suspicious eye on the bottles Gaius had just placed on it. She remembered how his potions tended to taste and she was not looking forward to finding out just how disgusting this new one was.

"The potion will allow you to see Uther in his spirit form. Once you are in his presence, you must blow the horn. It is the only way you can force him to go back to the spirit world." Merlin picked up the bottle and uncorked it and took a sniff at it, and promptly had to force herself to shallow as to not throw up. It reminded her of the potion she had had to drink when Uther had married a troll.

"Is it safe?" Merlin heard Arthur ask and looked up at him, she saw he also had the bottle in hand, only he had not yet uncorked it. Merlin couldn't quite quell the feeling of a slight satisfaction at the prospect of Arthur drinking the vile potion too. For once, it would not only be her taste buds, which were going to suffer. She looked over at Gaius when he didn't answer right away, only the look on his face was not really one she wanted to see in this scenario.

"I can't say I'm entirely sure" his answer turned out to be and Merlin felt in no way reassured. Nevertheless, as there was no way around it she gave Arthur a small greeting with her glass before lifting it to her lips. She narrowed her eyes at Arthur because he was not doing the same but instead was watching her intensely. She lowered her glass and asked, "What are you waiting for?"

"To see if it's safe." Merlin gawked at Arthur before retorting, "So, if I don't die, you'll take yours?" "Precisely, get on with it." It took a few times to persuade herself to drink it but when she did, she drank the potion as fast as she could in the hope that she could somehow avoid getting the liquid on her tongue. However, she was in no way successful but tried hard to set up a face that would tell Arthur that the taste was better than the smell.

On the inside however she was screaming at Gaius for always making her drink something that could not be called anything else than it tasted a bit like rotten raw meat, not that she had ever tasted that, but that did not mean that she hadn't smelled it and that alone gave her an idea of how it tasted.

"Well, at least we know it doesn't kill you instantly." Merlin could not help the smirk on her face as her friend and King drank the bottle and then looked like he was going to be sick. "Eurgh! That… that is the foulest thing I've ever tasted!"

Merlin smiled a sweet smile at him, it might have been slightly condescending but that only served him right since he had waited to see if she would die. "Sorry, did I forget to tell you that part? The part where Gaius can't make a nice smelling potion?" Merlin was smirking by the time she had finished talking, only to have it whipped off by the smack to the back of her head delivered to her by Gaius.

Merlin couldn't put into words how much she considered this whole thing a really, really bad idea, who in their right mind would wander the castle at night looking for Uther's ghost. Okay, she would, but it's not like she had much of a choice when it came to it anyway. Arthur was going and that meant so was she. She was trailing after Arthur, every other second she was sure she saw or heard something, but so far nothing which could be Uther.

"There!" She whisper-yelled when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, which seemed to be of the right size. "Where?" Arthur asked as he was looking wildly around them, Merlin had a chance to get a good look at the shadow she saw and instantly felt like the idiot Arthur always claimed her to be.

"Oh, it's just our shadows. Sorry." Merlin had barely finished talking when she heard and felt Arthur's hand connect with the back of her head. "Ow!" she yelled before Arthur placed his hand over her mouth while looking around as though he had heard something. His hand was also covering Merlin's nostrils and she was starting to need air as she had exhaled with her yell. However it didn't seem like Arthur was aware of the issue she was experiencing, and as such only left her with one choice.

She licked the inside of his hand. His face snapped to hers with a look of disgust etched in every feature of his face as he snatched his hand back and wiped it off on her shoulder. "I couldn't breathe!" she hissed at him at the same time as the door off to the side opened and Leon stood there holding a torch and looked at them like they had two heads.

"Arthur. Merlin." Leon nodded to Arthur and just looked at Merlin. "Leon." Merlin said as the same time as Arthur. Merlin looked curiously at Leon because she didn't understand the look on his face. Then she noticed that Arthur and her were standing quite close so she took a step back. 'Great, that is just what I need. He better not be thinking what I think he is thinking because then I'll fill his bed with something slimy!'

Leon had a speculative look smeared all over his face as he looked at them before talking again, "Is everything all right, my lord?" he asked and Merlin felt like smacking him around the head, she had a feeling she knew where this was going and if she was right… well she would figure something out. She didn't have to wait long before her suspicions were confirmed when Arthur answered, in a manner which Merlin could not help but to compare to a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"It's perfectly fine. We're… Merlin. Tell Leon what we are doing." Arthur said as he tried to look the all-powerful king and warrior. Merlin almost snorted at him at the same time as she tried to find something which would only serve him right for putting her in that position. She almost laughed as she found the perfect excuse. "We're… I'm teaching him some poetry."

She smiled sweetly at Leon as she could see he didn't believe her for a second, and she could almost feel his disbelief instead of only seeing it on his face. "Poetry?" He asked clearly struggling not to laugh, what made it all the more sweeter for Merlin was Arthur stuttering out that he loved poetry. Leon looked at her with a confused face and she really couldn't help herself, she just had to say it or she would burst.

"I was as surprised as you are. He can't get enough of it. I think he is trying to impress the queen." She gave what she hoped could pass as concerned and yet surrendering nods. If it worked or not she had no clue, but Leon left them to their supposed poetry. He had barely closed the door after him before Arthur rounded on her and demanded, "Poetry?! That's the best you could come up with?!"

Merlin put up the most innocent face she possibly could, "What did you want me to say?" "I don't know. Something that didn't make me sound like a love struck girl." Merlin couldn't quite stop the upturning of the corners of her lips, "Then you really shouldn't let me come up with the cover stories all the time, one would think that you had figured that out by now." Merlin only had his glare as a warning before she felt the cuff on the side of her head, "One of these days I am going to have you flogged Merlin."

Merlin gave her king a goofy smile, "No you won't. If that was something you'd do, you'd have done it years ago." Arthur just glared at her before he opened the door to continue their search.


End file.
